Director Sales, Food Service & Ingredients

About the role

Under the direction of the Vice President of FSI Sales, the Director Sales FSI is responsible for leading profitable growth across assigned customer portfolios, market segments, and customer-facing teams within the Food Service & Ingredients Division. The Director develops and executes customer, channel, and business strategies that advance FSI objectives while achieving revenue, profitability, volume, and customer engagement goals. The Director leads and develops National Customer Business Managers and other assigned resources while fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, talent development, and customer-centric decision making.

As a key leader in the FSI Business Unit, the Director serves as a business leader who contributes to business unit strategy, operating plans, and organizational capability development. The role partners closely with Sales Planning and Cross Functional Partners to ensure successful execution of growth initiatives, customer strategies, and business priorities.

Responsibilities

• Business & Enterprise Leadership
  • Leads the business team and drives execution of customer, channel, and growth strategies to achieve revenue, profitability, and business performance objectives.
  • Uses customer, market, financial, and operational insights to guide strategy, investment decisions, and long-range planning.
  • Builds organizational alignment and drives execution of business priorities through cross-functional leadership and continuous improvement.
  • Works closely with peer director and CP leaders to collaborate across portfolios to mutually grow, and to share/develop best practices for wider utilization.
• Commercial Leadership
  • Develops and executes customer strategies that deliver profitable growth and strengthen strategic partnerships.
  • Leads customer negotiations, pricing decisions, business development, and innovation commercialization efforts.
  • Applies customer, market, and competitive insights to identify opportunities, manage risk, and influence business strategy.
• Talent Leadership
  • Develops high-performing teams through coaching, feedback, development planning, and succession management.
  • Builds organizational capability by strengthening competencies, leadership effectiveness, and talent pipelines.
  • Leads, develops, and deploys talent across the total Sargento Sales organization and cross-functional partners.
  • Creates a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and alignment with Sargento Values and Purpose.
  • Meets organizational/functional competencies related to role.
• Financial & Organizational Leadership
  • Drives business performance through effective planning, financial stewardship, and data-informed decision making.
  • Partners cross-functionally to align resources, improve execution, and balance customer, business unit, and enterprise priorities.
  • Represents Sargento Values and Purpose while building relationships that advance strategic business objectives.
• Supervisory Responsibilities
  • Manages 3 direct reports, along with any future subordinates.
  • Directs subordinate managers and sales professionals as assigned.
  • Responsible for the overall direction, coaching, development, engagement, and performance management of assigned employees.
  • Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with company policies and applicable laws, including interviewing, hiring, onboarding, coaching, succession planning, performance evaluation, recognition, employee development, and addressing employee concerns and performance issues.

This position requires overnight travel approximately 25%–50% of the time.

Requirements

• Demonstrated business and enterprise leadership, including strategic planning, financial acumen, and cross-functional influence.
• Proven commercial leadership with a track record of delivering profitable growth, customer development, and business results.
• Proven talent leadership through coaching, development, succession planning, and team effectiveness.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to lead through ambiguity, change, and organizational complexity.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree (B.A.) from four-year college or university required; Master’s degree/MBA strongly preferred.
• 10+ years related consumer product sales experience preferred.
• 3+ years of people leadership experience.
• National headquarter sales & Broker management experience required.
• Experience leading customer strategy, contract negotiations, and strategic business planning.
• Experience utilizing financial and analytical tools to drive business decisions and resource allocation.
• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Advanced skills with syndicated data analysis, terminology, and reports.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical including Fertility and Adoption benefits, Dental, and Vision Insurance.
• Remote ½ day Fridays.
• Onsite Health & Wellness Center.
• Employer 401K contribution in the top 1% of the nation.
• Relocation Assistance.
• Tuition Assistance.
• Access to Employee Store.

About the company

With over 2,400+ employees and net sales of nearly $1.8 billion, Sargento is a family-owned company that has been a leader in cheese for more than 70 years. We created the world’s first, successful pre-packaged sliced and shredded natural cheeses. Sargento is based in Plymouth, Wisconsin, where we manufacture and market shredded, sliced and snack natural cheese products, as well as ingredients and sauces. Sargento is known for the exceptional quality of our products and for product design, packaging, and merchandising innovations that have transformed our industry.